Planning a golf simulator for your home or a commercial space, but stuck on one big question: What size should I get? You’re not alone - and it’s easier to figure out than you might think.
The fastest way to answer it is Carl's Place's Build Your Own Golf Simulator tool. Put in your room dimensions and the 3D visualizer shows you exactly how your enclosure fits in your space before you commit to anything. But if you want to understand the why behind the sizing decisions, this guide breaks down every factor that actually matters so you can build with confidence.
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Quick clarification: A golf simulator enclosure is a frame with black fabric walls and ceiling to keep golf balls in and ambient light out for a safer, more immersive indoor golfing experience. In this guide, we discuss enclosures, but if you only need the golf screen itself, check out how to select the best golf screen size. |
For a golf simulator to fit in your room, we recommend at least 14 feet of width by 18 feet of depth, with ceilings that reach 9-10 feet high. Granted many people fit golf simulators in smaller spaces.
When it comes to making the most of your golf simulator, there are a few important factors to keep in mind: room size, buffer space, golfer height and accuracy, and aspect ratio.
Let’s break down the four biggest deciding factors to choose the best golf simulator size:
Not sure where to start? Most golfers end up going one of two routes: they put their dimensions into the Build Your Own Golf Simulator Tool and let the 3D visualizer do the work. Or they grab one of our enclosure kits which come in standard sizes with everything you need to build. Either way, your room dimensions are the starting point.
The most important thing you must do is take measurements of the space where you plan to put the golf enclosure and account for anything that may interfere with your setup, such as; doors, carpet, turf, pipes, soffits, garage door openers, and rails, etc.
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We recommend getting the biggest enclosure that will fit your space.
For the safety of both the golfer and the screen, we recommend standing a minimum of 10-12 feet away from the screen. Please do not stand closer than 10 feet from the screen. Customers who stand closer will experience bounce back and increase the risk of injury.
Before making a final decision on the size of your golf simulator enclosure, take a few swings in the designated space to ensure that it's the perfect fit. Start with slow swings to get a feel for the area, and once you're confident that you won't hit anything, take some full swings to ensure that your swing isn't being compromised by the size of the space. Don't forget to consider any obstacles that may be in the way, like windows or fans.
In case your golf simulator space has a width less than the ideal 14 feet, the center of the room might not be the best spot for you to swing comfortably. If you find the wall behind you a physical or mental hindrance, then you may need to shift into an "offset" arrangement, where the hitting area moves closer to one side of the room, allowing for a more relaxed backswing and follow-through.
Golfers will also want to adjust their golf simulator launch monitor and software to be offset as well to match their physical setup. Most devices or softwares offer such a setting.
It is important to account for some buffer space around the golf simulator, both during installation and use. You wouldn't want the impact screen or enclosure touching any windows, walls, or cars, etc.
Carl's Build Your Own Golf Simulator Tool can do all of those buffer space calculations for you, but if you want to do it yourself, here's how to find the largest golf simulator dimensions for the room:
When it comes to choosing the depth of your golf simulator enclosure, it's important to consider factors such as limited space, lighting, and the skill level of the golfer.
If you’re a skilled golfer with consistent accuracy, and have a smaller room or a darker environment, a shallower enclosure may be the way to go. However, if you want to protect your surroundings and create a more immersive experience, a deeper Pro Enclosure or Curved Enclosure is the better option.
Novice golfers can benefit from a 10-foot or deeper enclosure as their struck balls, including shanks, would be completely contained. Skilled golfers may also prefer the containment and "immersivity" of a deeper enclosure, but might also prefer more free space to avoid the potential of modifying their swing if they feel too close to their surroundings.
Keep in mind that a 5-foot deep enclosure may not be sufficient for launch angles with wedges and higher irons. While TrackMan's PGA Tour launch angle averages suggest that balls should not go over the enclosure, inconsistent amateur golfers may still experience this issue.
Aspect ratio simply refers to the shape of the image being projected. When the ratio of the projector and the screen match, the image fills the entire screen and you will not see black masking bars.
Many home golfers come to us wanting 16:9 golf simulators, but when we do the math, and we often find it doesn't fit their room.
4:3 is often preferred for golf simulators because it allows you to go taller, giving you more room to swing, without needing a wider room. This ratio has the shape of a CRT TV.
If space allows, a 16:9 aspect ratio for a golf simulator screen is great for 4K and HD images. This ratio has the shape of a typical flat screen TV. A little math here, bear with us, we hate math too.
To swing an iron, the average golfer needs a bare minimum of 8' ceiling height. That's the ":9" part of the aspect ratio. A helpful hint: 16 is bigger than 9, so your room must be quite a bit wider than it is tall. But how wide?
The 16:10 is an aspect ratio mostly used for computer displays and tablet computers. Because the 16:10 aspect ratio lets you get away with a golf simulator in a narrower room than the 16:9 ratio, they tend to be a bit more common for home golfers.
Look for golf simulator projectors that have a native aspect ratio of 16:10, making for easier setup.
An aspect ratio of 1:1 is a square and is usually chosen for golf simulators if space is limited, although it increases the chances of seeing black bars. If your enclosure is a square, use a projector capable of a 4:3 aspect ratio to maximize the image.
You will also see “other or non-standard”. These golf screen sizes help to fill the space you have available for safety, but are also not standard ratios, meaning the image will not fill the screen perfectly. This does not hurt the screen, it is only a matter of if you want to see blank space. Learn more about aspect ratio.
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Keep in mind that we use three main terms of measurement when we talk about golf simulators at Carl's Place.
Viewable Screen - the area of the screen that can be filled with a projected image
Total Screen Size - the viewable screen plus the finished edges
Enclosure Size - the outer dimensions of the frame that holds your golf screen and black enclosure materials
4. OK, fine! There is one more term we use: listing size. The listing size is a customer-friendly measurement we use with our most popular golf simulator enclosure sizes. For example, our 9' x 12' enclosures ... such a nice, short measurement. But if you're tight on space, you have to pay attention to the exact enclosure dimensions listed in our specifications sheet. Specs sheets are available in the Resources section of any product page.
You now understand aspect ratios, buffer space, listing sizes, and the difference between viewable screen and total screen size. Nobody can take that from you. You can also just put your room dimensions into Carl's golf sim planning tool and have it figure all of that out in about thirty seconds. Choices, choices.